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‘E kore e mōnehunehu te pūmahara ki ngā momo rangatira o neherā nā rātou nei i toro te nukuroa o Te Moana Nui a Kiwa me Papa Tū a Nuku. Ko ngā tohu o ō rātou tapuwae i kākahutia ki runga i te mata o te whenua – he taonga, he tapu.’
—Tā Himi Hēnare

Haramai te mana o ngā tūpuna o Te Tai Tokerau. He kaihohou rongo, he kaingārahu, he kaitorotoro whenua, he kaipara huarahi. Taea kē te whakamīharo o te pukapuka nei, nā Melinda Webber rāua ko Te Kapua O’Connor. He mea tuhituhi kia whiwhi ai ngā uri whakatupu ki ēnei kōrero mō ngā tūpuna rua tekau mā whā nei – mō Nukutawhiti, mō Hineāmaru, mō Hongi Hika, mō Te Ruki Kawiti, me te maha atu. Waiho mā ngā kōrero nei, ngā whakapapa, ngā waiata, ngā pepeha, ka mātau ai tātou ki ā rātou mahi, ki ō rātou kāinga, ki ō rātou tikanga, ki tō rātou ao.

Me tā e rua kē pukapuka, reo Pākehā, reo Māori nōki. Nā Quinton Hita te reo Māori. Ka mutu, ko te whakaahua hei kākahu mō te pukapuka nei, nā Shane Cotton. Ko te ingoa o te pukapuka nei, Ka Ngangana Tonu a Hineāmaru, he akiaki i a tātou kia ū – i runga i te tātai hono ki ēnei kōrero tuku iho, ki ēnei whenua rongonui, ki ēnei tūpuna marutuna kua mene ki te pō.

Also available in English: A Fire in the Belly of Hineāmaru: A Collection of Narratives about Te Tai Tokerau Tūpuna

Reclaiming a language is a slow-burning process, both deeply personal and intricately connected to the socio-economic, historical and political conditions in which we live. In He Reo Tuku Iho: Tangata Whenua and Te Reo Māori, Awanui Te Huia focuses on the lived experiences of tangata whenua and explores ways in which they can reclaim te reo.

Drawing upon findings from the national research project Manawa Ū ki te Reo Māori, which surveyed motivations and barriers for Māori language acquisition and use, Te Huia encourages readers to explore how they can journey back towards te reo Māori in daily life. We hear from tangata whenua learning te reo, and from those who are fluent, while considering challenges to language reclamation – such as experiences with racism, whakamā, historical trauma and resourcing – and ways to overcome these.

At the heart of He Reo Tuku Iho is the knowledge that it is possible for Māori to return te reo to minds, hearts and mouths. As Te Huia writes: ‘The aroha connection that we all have with our tūpuna, our living relations, and those yet to come, are tied together in our collective desire for te reo Māori to thrive now and in the future.’

‘Awanui Te Huia’s writing can help tangata whenua to navigate the complexities of learning te reo Māori, maintaining it, and seeing the practical and logical steps of achieving one’s language goals. In the words of Mason Durie, referenced by Awanui, “Diverse needs require diverse solutions.” And no, it isn’t easy, as testified by the contributors to her research. The trauma, the language disruption, the availability and access to resource and access to emotion; the anxiety, the connectivity and tests of identity; the racism and the effects of colonisation and so on, all exist. But yes, as challenges they can be overcome, or at least, with the suggestions Awanui proposes, approached in ways that make the journey easier. Nau mai te rongoā. Whiria he kaha mōu, ko koe anō taua whiri, ko koe tonu tōu kaha. The solution lies with you.’ —Emeritus Professor Poia Rewi

Cover design: Tane Morris